Benefit

Mother/daughter duos rock the runway at Tootsies in Recipe for Success Fashion Gene Awards.
In a fashionable nod to fast approaching Mother’s Day, Recipe for Success honored mother-daughter duos in its second annual “Dress for Dinner: The Fashion Gene Awards” evening at Tootsies. Think moms in Oscar and Alaia and daughters in Zac Posen and Yigal Azrouel as they strolled the catwalk to generous applause.

Cerón and Todd Fiscus, chairs of this season’s series of Dress for Dinner benefit evenings, were in their element surrounded by fashionable women in the high style setting of the West Ave emporium. Recipe for Success founder Gracie Cavnar welcomed guests and turned the program over to Clifford Pugh, CultureMap editor-in-chief, who served as emcee of the lively parade of femmes.

Stepping out in the latest fashions were Liz and Katie Decker, Arvia and Bradlee Few, Brenda and Lindsey Love, Kathy and Jennifer McCord, Suzie and Lizzy McGee, Leisa Holland-Nelson and Laura Nelson, Phoebe and Caroline Tudor and Melissa and Mia Mithoff.

The moms and daughters were just part of the evening’s entertainment that began with a runway show of Tootsies spring looks and closed with fall fashions from Marchesa. For those ponying up a bit more, dinner with Cerón, Todd and Tootsies proprietor Mickey Rosmarin followed, with a special menu prepared by Philippe Schmit.

The fashion flock included designer David Peck, Diane Lokey Farb, Alex Blair, Karina Barbieri, Yasmine Haddad, Lauren Rottet, Roz Pactor, Harry Tudor, Davon Hatchett, Lily Nasar, Frann Lichtenstein, Vicki Rizzo, Mauri Oliver and Dr. Angela Sturm.

Have we learned anything? No doubt some of those same brands will feel the pinch as we, the consumers, pause at the thought of new clothes at the expense of someone else. Even if that someone is an anonymous factory worker with few options. We pause, that is, until our insatiable appetite for fast fashion returns.

This story is not just about Bangladesh and there are many culprits here besides the brands. They include lax government regulation, corruption and greed. But mass coverage of the event has failed to address one obvious source of the problem: the desire of consumers to have it all. Fashion at the ready, but cheaply.

When I was a kid, we shopped twice a year. We followed the “seasons.” Back-to-School shopping in the fall, with a return trip for shorts, t-shirts and new tennis shoes in the spring. We cared about fashion, but we didn’t own all that much more than we needed. Technology, just-in-time inventory and cheap goods from a complex chain of global suppliers that depend on low-cost labor have changed all that.

Fall and spring fashion collections have subdivided into a constant flow of new product. The window displays and inventory changes constantly. The antique question I pose to my kids: “do you really need that?” has little traction when you can secure a fashionable jacket in the latest color for $19 and another blouse to be worn once or twice, at $5.

Can consumers help? Frankly, it’s hard to imagine a critical mass of consumers putting their principles first and opening their pockets to lead us out of this mess. Despite what we say in surveys about being willing to pay more for sweatshop free products, our behavior doesn’t follow. And consumer power is a blunt instrument. Boycotts work, of course, but it’s hard to get at the nuances of how a product is made – both the social and environmental inputs–on a clothing tag.

One area of promise is the number of start-ups and seasoned brands that are experimenting with new ways of doing business. They are seeking a more thoughtful consumer. The give and take begins when a company leads with quality over price. And surprisingly, they are willing to raise the question about “sustainable consumption”–i.e., buying less.

Patagonia turned heads when it partnered with eBay to facilitate buying product that was previously owned. The message? This product is good enough to last and real fashion has staying power. Levi’s, which, ironically, took a lot of heat for being the last of the big apparel brands to move off shore, is working to distinguish its product in terms of its durability and save-the-planet attributes, through investment in green cotton, lower water usage, and incorporation of recycled materials . Some firms are deliberately choosing to locate their production close to their consumer base: yes, we can still buy Made in the USA apparel and other durable goods. The company that makes my favorite running shirt, Atayne, bucks the industry model: performance apparel all made in the USA using just-in-time production that reduces inventory and waste, plus recycled materials to boot. There are many more examples and we can hope that this moment of reflection helps put wind to their sails.

I have mixed feelings about the value of consumer-led strategies, but in this case, we, the consumers, are complicit. There is no free lunch. It’s time to put our money where our mouth is if we want to avoid future disasters like the heart-wrenching one on page one.

Glamour and decadence

The Great Gatsby’s Fabulous Betrayal of 1920s Fashion.
The details of the new film’s wardrobe aren’t historically accurate, but its costumes successfully convey the glamour and decadence of the era for a 21st-century audience.
Feathered headpieces? Check. Long strings of beads? Check. More Brooks Brothers than a Princeton reunion? Check. Spectator shoes, cloche hats, and Bakelite bangles? Check, check, check. The Great Gatsby delivers the fashion clichés of the 1920s (and a few from other eras) that we expected to see.

But they don’t look quite as we expected to see them. The colors are richer, the dresses more bespangled, and the flappers less perky. This Gatsby isn’t the Gatsby of John Held, Jr. cartoons, nor is it Boardwalk Empire. It’s darker, grittier, and much sexier than the priggish Fitzgerald could have imagined. It’s a 21st century Gatsby, set in the 1920s, which, paradoxically, ups its connection to the decadent period it depicts. If you want historically accurate costumes, you’ll be better served by PBS. If you want to understand the social and cultural meaning of clothes in the 1920s, then this movie delivers.

In the movie, as in life, socioeconomic class defines a character’s dress. In 1920s New York, class was beginning to change. Old money and Tom Buchanan-types were losing their hold on American culture. Gatsby and his parvenus pushed the boundaries of “appropriate.” Bye-bye tailcoats. Hello tuxedos. In the extravagant party scenes, Luhrmann mixes the old guard with the new—a Western senator in a 10-gallon hat dances with a debutante; Ivy League boys wear white flannel pants and feel up film stars. Things are not trickling down anymore, Dr. Veblen. Fashions flourish in the strangest of places.

The pink suit—pinstriped and paired with a burgundy tie and gold collar bar­—reveals Gatsby’s true beginnings. Tom and Nick adhere to the kind of sartorial understatement their mummy taught them and they cultivated on green quads. The contrast between the blueblood and the bootlegger is striking, and moviegoers would get it without the multiple mentions of the suit by Buchanan. If audiences literally want to get it, they can hightail it to Brooks Brothers. The firm, who dressed the author and his Princeton pals, has rolled out a Gatsby-inspired collection, complete with tapered pant legs a la Don Draper—certainly not 1922, but saleable nonetheless.

The women’s costumes are more nuanced, but just as significant to Luhrmann’s character development. Even those details that are clearly not 1920s (Myrtle Wilson’s ridiculous 1950s’ cleavage, for example) get the point across: Myrtle does the things in bed that your wife will not. Daisy Buchanan is bound to a dying social hierarchy and believes “the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” True to the text, she wears lavender and lace. The fitted cut of her dresses is more 1912 than 1922.

The major players aren’t the only ones Luhrmann updates. When an Australian director interprets the social hierarchy of 1920s America, everybody gets to go to the party. Fitzgerald’s audience was white, but Luhrmann’s audience is not. Expect to see fleshy, black dancers, an Arab-looking Wolfsheim, and a few interracial couples. True to form, Luhrmann steps beyond the “ideal” body type—or even one so closely associated with the era (read as: knobby knees and twig-like arms). Thick-waisted women, short, stocky men, and some drag queens bring Luhrmann’s interpretation into the 21st century.

The costumes of The Great Gatsby will not withstand the rigors of academic analysis, but who cares about “real” history, anyway? The film’s costumes entice and inspire—boater hats, bejeweled headbands, fringed frocks, and all. Just as Gatsby’s lavish lawn party aimed to lure Daisy across the bay, Luhrmann lures a modern audience to listen once again to a story they’ve heard before.

A family spokesman announced his death but did not give the cause.

The Missoni label gained prominence in the fashion world in the late 1960s and early 1970s for using knitwear as a canvas for kaleidoscopic flame, zigzag and space dye designs, and fashioning a new kind of informal, soft wardrobe.

In the decades since, three generations of the Missoni family have helped build that humble knitwear business into a global empire.

Today, the label is a full-blown luxury lifestyle brand that has the family name gracing eyewear, fragrances and footwear as well as hotels and home furnishings.

In the U.S. it’s sold through high-end department stores such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom as well as independent boutiques. Missoni also has a network of standalone retail U.S. locations that include a store on Cross Creek Road in Malibu and another on Madison Avenue in New York.

His ascent in athletics was interrupted by a stint in the Italian army during World War II, when he was taken prisoner of war in Egypt. In 1948 he and a partner opened a knitwear factory in Trieste — the same year Missoni was a 400-meter hurdles finalist in the London Olympic Games.

It was there he met Rosita Jelmini, an Italian girl studying abroad (and whose family owned a textile factory). They married in 1953 — the same year they launched their business designing and manufacturing knitwear in Gallarte, Italy. By 1968 Missoni S.p.A. was established at Sumirago, which continues today to be the nerve center of both company and family activity.

Among the family members involved in operations is granddaughter Margherita, who designs accessories and has appeared in ad campaigns.

The label made headlines in September 2011 when a collaboration with Target proved so popular that it caused that retailer’s website to crash — and resulted in a post-frenzy boost in business for Missoni’s spring 2012 ready-to-wear line.

When he spoke with The Times during that October 2011 visit, the 90-year-old showed no sign of slowing down. Having recently won a gold medal in a track and field event for nonagenarian athletes, he sat on a restaurant patio for more than three hours, talking about the past, present and future of the brand — and, with a sense of humor that made meeting him so memorable, offered up how he’d managed to navigate years of meaningless cocktail party chitchat without giving offense.

“You can handle any conversation with just three words,” he said. “‘Really,’ ‘sometimes,’ and ‘maybe.’” To prove his point, he asked a reporter to start a conversation. After no more than a sentence, a quizzical look crossed his face. “Really?” he asked.

After another two minutes of prattling on he interjected with an authoritative: “Sometimes.”

Eventually he leaned back in the Southern California sun, shrugged his shoulders and said: “Maybe.”

Missoni is survived by his wife, Rosita; daughter Angela Missoni, who serves as the company’s creative director; son Luca, who also works in the family business,; and several grandchildren. Another son, Vittorio, the company’s chief executive, was among the four passengers of a small plane that disappeared four months ago in Venezuela.

Jessica Simpson is set to launch a bridal line.
The new mother is reportedly planning to turn her longtime dream of designing wedding fashion into reality when she returns from her maternity leave.
Has built a successful fashion emporium including apparel, accessories and swimwear amongst other things.
But according to an insider, she has been thinking about a bridal range for some time.
“A wedding line is something she’s always wanted to do,” a source told ‘In Touc’h. “She is talented and knows what women want to wear.”
Jessica’s fashion label has been going from strength to strength and has become one of the most successful celebrity brands ever.
Shortly after giving birth to daughter Maxwell in May this year, the star launched a new maternity range.
The insider explained that the appeal of her designs lies in the mother-of-one’s own weight struggles.“She has curves like every girl so women will buy those dresses up!” the source said.

Whitney Port uses a toilet seat cover to help combat her oily skin.
The reality TV star-turned-designer is famed for her ever-stylish fashion choices and regularly shares her beauty and style musings on her personal blog with fans.
Whitney has confessed that not all her ideas are conventional however, and has revealed her rather odd way of combating the heat when it comes to her complexion.
“I know this may sound a little strange, but I was taught that if your face gets a little oily and you don’t have an absorbing sheet, you can use a toilet seat cover,” she revealed to US OK! magazine.
Whitney also revealed her top hair tip when it comes to looking perfectly preened in the summer sun. The stunning star prefers a laid back look when relaxing on the beach.
“I love the Frédéric Fekkai surf spray that creates beachy waves without having to actually go in the ocean,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the blonde beauty took to her personal website to update fans on her latest style musings.
Whitney revealed that sequins and sparkly embellishments are the perfect way to stand out from the rest of the fashion pack.
“Having that extra hint of sparkle can really make any outfit instantly more glamorous and it can even transform an outfit from day to night! Perfect way to spice up your wardrobe with a sparkling blazer, clutch, or skirt! (sic),” she exclaimed.

Kim Kardashian – who is dating rapper Kanye West – wants to have children in the next three years.
Kim Kardashian wants to have children in the next three years.
The ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ star – who is currently dating Kanye West – has set herself a number of personal and professional targets which she wants to achieve, both short and long term.
The 31-year-old beauty told Britain’s InStyle magazine: “In three years, I see myself moving into acting and designing and I’d like to start a family.
“In 10 years, I hope to still be designing and in 20 years I’ll be happily living on a farm somewhere far away. I don’t really mean a farm, I mean a huge luxurious villa in Tuscany.”
Kim – who split from husband Kris Humphries after just 72 days of marriage last October – also won’t rule out adopting in order to fulfill her dream of having a family.
She said: “I’m obsessed with my nephew Mason, I wish he was my son. And I’m excited for [my sister Kourtney having] a girl.
“Would I adopt? If you had asked me that a year ago, I would have told you no, but things change. Now I think I would. I want to be married with two parents in the house to raise the kids. But, if that wasn’t the option for me I would do it on my own.”

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West joined fashion’s elite at the Valentino Couture show in Paris on Wednesday (04.07.12).
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West sat front row for Valentino’s Couture show in Paris on Wednesday (04.07.12).
The reality star and her singer boyfriend saw a collection including plain, pencil-legged trousers suits, long flowing nude-coloured gowns and covered up arms in the collection which was heavy in red-carpet wow factor.
Shades from navy blue to fiery red and simple lemon made up the majority of the looks from the legendary brand.
Meanwhile, masks were featured heavily in the Maison Martin Margiela collection – following in the footsteps of Dior and Armani which had both done the same in their shows – with a bejewelled fencing feel to them.
The clothes featured heavy frayed tailoring in various shades of blue and grey, before moving on to a lace section.
Speaking earlier this week about his debut couture collection for Dior, Raf Simons admitted he wanted to take the fashion house in a new direction.
He said: “I want to make it more dynamic, appeal to a person who has a different energy – a younger person, in mind, not necessarily in age. And I think couture is very much about curating something unique for women.”

Kate Bosworth stole the show at the Hugo By Hugo Boss show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week yesterday.
The blonde beauty wowed crowds at the high-profile Berlin event in an elegant little black dress, which boasted a smouldering backless design.
Kate – who was a guest of honour – stunned onlookers as she turned to reveal the flesh-baring sleeveless Hugo Boss ensemble.
The Hollywood actress teamed the frock with strappy black sandals, which showed off her toned pins to perfection.
Kate kept her beauty look simple, and wore her shoulder-length blonde tresses in loose casual waves. Her make-up was natural, and set off perfectly with a subtle coral lipstick.
Kate gushed about her outfit ahead of the show yesterday. The star took to Twitter to share her excitement with fans.
“@HUGOBOSS has my back. On the way to the show! (sic)” she posted on the social network site, with a picture of her dress.
The luxury fashion house was also impressed with Kate’s choice of attire. They took to Twitter to gush about her simple yet stunning look.
“Wow! The back of @katebosworth ‘s beautiful black HUGO dress! #mbfw (sic),” they wrote.
Kate was joined on the front row by British model Poppy Delevingne, who looked gorgeous in an embellished mini dress.
The two women received a warm welcome from Hugo Boss CEO Claus-Deitrich Lahrs.

After reading an article in the Fashion Section of the Wall Street Journal that upholds the value in maintaining “discipline” in one’s appearance at all times, and more recently Anne-Marie Slaughter’s much discussed confessionary work, “Why Women Still Can’ Have It All,” I can’t help but to think that the notion of the WSJ piece exacerbates the “differential pressures” of which Slaughter speaks. Not only are women to succeed, but the op-ed attests that we should always look pretty while doing it.
The WSJ article features quotations from various successful women in the fashion industry who tend to support the view that one’s ensemble and general appearance in public is an issue of “respect” for oneself and others. The author writes of the dreadful moment she looked in the mirror in Neiman Marcus while trying on a pair of Prada platforms and saw her less-than-perfect reflection, “in workout clothes, no makeup and a baseball cap”. She grimaced, and thought, “Never again.”
When I’m out and about in workout clothes, picking up dinner at Whole Foods on the way home from the gym, running an errand, or simply reading at Starbucks on a weekend, I may at times think “I hope I don’t see anyone I know!” and try to hustle through the task at hand, but it is a less than traumatic experience if I catch a glance of my reflection. These “fish bowl” moments of being underdressed that the author references are simply not worth the time it would take to go home, shower, apply make-up, coordinate an outfit, and backtrack to the location of my errand in order to look nicer doing it.

It’s a good thing there is no shortage of summer movie premieres. In the typical pop culture drought that is the summer months, summer premieres are little hidden gems of fashion fodder. Coupled with the occasional award show, summer red-carpet events are always the most interesting to scope for celebrity style. This week’s round-up features a mix of premieres, red-carpet, and high fashion events, all infused with summertime style. Let’s take a look:

Gwen Stefani: Does this woman NEVER age? Looking impeccably crisp and fresh, Stefani sported this menswear-inspired look to a photo exhibition in L.A. Looking perfectly on trend, the No Doubt frontwoman wore a crisp white shirt, patterned tie, and zipper-embellished Rag & Bone for Intermix leggings to the Exposure 2 Photo event.

Beyonce: Beyonce exists on this planet to put the rest of us to shame. Not only do I love her hair like this, but the color of this dress is exquisite. The singer and new mom wore this chartreuse Stephanie Rolland to the B.E.T. Awards, where she went home with the Best Female R&B statue. She capped off the stunning look with Lorraine Schwartz jewels and Givenchy sandals.

Rose Byrne: Not a far cry from her picture-perfect character in “Bridesmaids,” Rose Byrne looked amazing in this eye-catching white Valentino dress she wore to the NYC premiere of “Damages.” Love the simplistic hair and red lip!

The misses
Kim Kardashian: A for effort, I guess? Kim K. tried her hand at couture at the Stephane Rolland’s presentation for Women’s Fall Winter 2013 haute couture Fashion Collection in Paris, but slightly missed the mark. The sculptural embellishment on her shoulder is overwhelming and looks like a giant wad of Kleenex. Also, can we stop trying to make the mullet dress happen? It’s not going to happen.
Katy Perry: I really thought Katy Perry was turning over a new fashion leaf with her old Hollywood-infused look at the L.A. premiere of her concert film, but the dress she wore to the film’s London premiere veered right back into figure skating territory. Awash in tulle, metallics, and sequins, Perry looked more “Stars on Ice” than red-carpet ready.
Brandy: This is not a dress. This is a shirt. A tunic, at best. The no-pants epidemic has got to stop, Hollywood. Shirts do not constitute entire ensembles.

Modern mannequins, trim as they may be, are too big to wear the clothes of 18th- and 19th-century women, whose waists were pinched to 14 inches by corsets, said Vaughne Hansen, Pike County Historical Society board member.
Women’s freedom from those stays, like other freedoms, developed slowly.
Evidence of that evolution is organized in boxes and albums and hanging on the occasional mannequin on the third floor of the Columns Museum.
Recently, Hansen provided a tour of the third floor, which she said was once occupied by children, servants and unwanted guests. It’s now managed by Roxanne Scott, a volunteer and member of the museum’s board of directors.
Versatility was a valued quality in earlier dresses, Hansen said, pointing out a mannequin clothed in an 1880s dress, with an elaborate lacy bodice for dinner or visiting. A plain bodice draped on a nearby chair could be substituted for walking or shopping.
“One yard more fabric, two dresses,” said Hansen. “That midcentury bustle era was interesting for women, with the suffrage and temperance movement.”

And dress reform. A journal on dress reform was published in Middletown, she said.
“In the 1850s, women wore Turkish trousers under a shortened skirt for freedom of movement,” she said. “It was called the ‘American dress.’ But it got too much attention. The focus was on what women wore, rather than what they said. So they went back to conventional styles.”
Even then they wore vintage clothes. At a reception for Revolutionary War hero Gen. Lafayette in the winter of 1824-25, Camilla Smith, wife of a doctor who served with Lafayette, wore a blue and gold silk dress from the Revolutionary War era with a decorative green apron — “not for dirty work, but maybe for sewing,” said Hansen, pulling the dress from a box. A small purse called a “reticule” went with it
“I don’t know why she wore the dress for Lafayette — because it’s beautiful, old? History is a mystery,” said Hansen. “But the dress is doing well at 235 years old, wrapped in acid-free paper. Natural dyes last longer.”
As for washing, since wool and silk are unwashable, said Hansen, people wore cotton and linen underneath, which they rinsed in water they boiled in their backyards. They aired out their outer clothes, and brushed and spot-cleaned stains.
“They washed themselves as often as we do,” said Hansen, “but less enjoyably, taking sponge baths with a bowl of water and soap.”
Clothes gradually became less cumbersome. In mid-19th-century, skirts changed, Hansen said. “Dresses with hoop skirts were liberating, holding up the dress, making it lighter,” she said. She pointed out diagrams of various kinds of hoops. “Then the bustle brought the skirt up and behind. And with the Artistic movement, gowns became less structured, more flowing, reflecting freedom of thought.”

Primal instincts are running wild on the high street as female Brits take on a new, animalistic approach to shopping.
With traits closely resembling how animals hunt their prey in the wild, new research from leading high street retailer TK Maxx, reveals the recession has bred a new species of female shoppers The Hunter-Gatheristas.
In the current economic climate, shopping is fast becoming a survival of the fittest – nearly a quarter of 18-24 year old women have confessed to secretly competing with friends as they scramble to stay ahead of the fashion pack and satiate their appetite for a bargain.
Behavioural psychologist Donna Dawson explains: “The recession has forced consumers to adapt the way they purchase in order to ‘survive’ – it’s no surprise that women have responded positively by seeing this as a hunt or a challenge; they are reverting to their primal instincts to ensure they get their prey.  The research proves our brain’s reward system now focuses on searching out bargains with nearly half of us only feeling a sense of achievement once their ‘hunt’ is successful.”
The findings revealed 81 per cent of British women – the new Hunter-Gatheristas – now plan their shopping trips with military precision; preparing which shops they’ll attack in advance by trawling websites and blogs and tearing out items they want to buy from fashion magazines.
So serious are they about their mission that nearly two-thirds boast of rarely failing to secure what they set out to buy.
Whist female shoppers are becoming more selective with their purchasing – over a third only ‘hunt’ once every few months now – the High Street remains the natural habitat for The Hunter-Gatheristas and almost half take great pleasure in showing off their latest purchases to friends.
Helen Gunter at TK Maxx, comments: “In the current climate, it’s clear that shoppers are carefully planning their purchase decisions and enjoying the thrill of hunting down those unique bargains. We know the high street is highly competitive and this research tells us that today’s discerning consumers are on the hunt for good quality at great values along with the ability to find something a little bit unique that defines their own individual style.”

Whitney Port uses a toilet seat cover to help combat her oily skin.
The reality TV star-turned-designer is famed for her ever-stylish fashion choices and regularly shares her beauty and style musings on her personal blog with fans.
Whitney has confessed that not all her ideas are conventional however, and has revealed her rather odd way of combating the heat when it comes to her complexion.
“I know this may sound a little strange, but I was taught that if your face gets a little oily and you don’t have an absorbing sheet, you can use a toilet seat cover,” she revealed to US OK! magazine.
Whitney also revealed her top hair tip when it comes to looking perfectly preened in the summer sun. The stunning star prefers a laid back look when relaxing on the beach.
“I love the Frédéric Fekkai surf spray that creates beachy waves without having to actually go in the ocean,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the blonde beauty took to her personal website to update fans on her latest style musings.
Whitney revealed that sequins and sparkly embellishments are the perfect way to stand out from the rest of the fashion pack.
“Having that extra hint of sparkle can really make any outfit instantly more glamorous and it can even transform an outfit from day to night! Perfect way to spice up your wardrobe with a sparkling blazer, clutch, or skirt! (sic),” she exclaimed.

Blake Lively was a sure-in for the title of this week’s Best Dressed as soon as she stepped her designer-clad foot onto the red carpet for her premiere.
Attending the LA screening of her new movie Savages she looked absolutely stunning channelling Old Hollywood.
Her Zuhair Murad Couture gown fit her like and glove and showed off her tned curves to perfection.
Her statement red pout and matching nails added just the right amount of colour. Then her Veronica Lake-esque curls sealed the deal.
Since then she’s gone on to wow us in Marchesa, Jenny Packham, Gucci, Marios Schwab and Lanvin. And long may this promo tour continue.
Do you agree with this week’s choice?

Nicole Richie says her height restricts the way she shops.
The stylish star has revealed that she rarely buys garments online because she has to see how they fit her petite frame. Nicole added that she can’t order clothes straight from the catwalk like many of her contemporaries because they will look completely different on her.
“I’m five feet one inches, so it’s not as easy as just seeing something on a mannequin or a model and thinking, ‘That’s going to be cute on me’. I have to try things on and see how they fit on my body,” she told the August edition of British ‘Elle’ magazine.
“That’s why I’m not a big online shopper. I like to touch the clothes, feel the fabric and try them on.”
Nicole also named her wardrobe staples.
The mother-of-two is obsessed with totes and shoes because they complete a look.
“A bag can make an outfit so it’s important for each one to be special. My last purchase was a white Celine bag – it’s beautiful,” she said.
“I can wear Louboutins all day long. I wear heels a lot because I like how they look, not necessarily for height. The tallest I’m ever going to get is five feet six inches; it’s not like I’m going to tower over anybody.”

Doutzen Kroes wishes she could be “cool and androgynous” and not use a handbag.
The model is always looking for simple ways to update her style or make her stand out from the crowd.
Picking the right accessory – or opting for none at all to show off your outfit completely – is top of her list of tips.
“My stylist never carries a handbag, which is a really cool androgynous look that I try to work at parties,” she told the latest edition of UK ‘InStyle’.
“Though, obviously for practical reasons, I do need one when I travel – you can’t go wrong with a chic Céline.”
Doutzen wasn’t that interested in fashion when she was growing up but now she’s carved out a career as a model, things are very different.
She has several favourite designers and is still in awe of the giant princess dress Zac Posen created for her for the 2010 Met Ball in New York City.
“Zac Posen made me a beautiful blue dress for the Met Ball a few years ago. The only problem was, it was so big that going to the bathroom was a nightmare!” she laughed.
“My style is very minimal. For everyday, I team Alexander Wang leather shorts with Margiela blouses. I also find Azzedine Alaïa dresses really flatter my figure.”

She might have been suffering from ‘double boob’ syndrome yesterday, but today Katie Price really did let it all hang out.

The 33-year-old showed off her tiny figure as she promoted her swimwear range in a London studio and also revealed a new tattoo.

Proving that she’s still a fan of a plunging neckline, the mother-of-three struck a variety of poses ensuring that all eyes were on her and the body ink that resembled a garter on her right-hand thigh.

Artist/actor/occasional fashion designer Greg Lauren (nephew of Ralph Lauren) and wife actress Elizabeth Berkley (who starred in “Saved by the Bell”) are expecting their first child. The couple married in 2003.

Also expecting: Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lachey.

Rapper Kanye West showed his second women’s collection in Paris, after debuting his first last year to what might kindly be called tepid reviews. To quote Luke Leitch writing in the Telegraph about this year’s show, “He may be utterly unqualified to show as a designer in Paris, but he certainly has chutzpah.” And he drew a hip crowd, including Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz and Sean Combs.

Besides West and Chanel’s crystal cave, which Fashion News mentioned previously, other attention-getters at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday included Alexander McQueen’s floral dresses and Valentino’s leather and intricately beaded dresses.

Sarah Burton, McQueen’s creative director, says the looks she sent down the runway were inspired by fungi. And she meant that in a good way.

The maker of the popular Brazilian Blowout hair-smoothing treatment has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit for about $4.5 million. That comes out to about $35 per treatment (to a maximum of three) for each customer who says she was harmed by the product, plus $75 per bottle purchased for each stylist. Earlier the manufacturer reached a settlement with the California attorney general’s office to warn stylists and consumers that the products contain formaldehyde, which can cause respiratory problems and is a known carcinogen.

Recent Cosmopolitan cover girls Freida Pinto and Dakota Fanning were among the attendees at Cosmo’s Fun and Fearless Awards on Monday night in Manhattan, where Paul Rudd won a Fun and Fearless Male Award.

It’s official: Hedi Slimane takes over as creative director for Yves Saint Laurent following the departure of Stefano Pilati, who showed his final collection for the label in Paris on Monday.

Alexander Wang denies allegations made by a former employee in a lawsuit that its factory in New York’s Chinatown is a sweatshop.

GLISTENING gowns and well-heeled beauties set the mood last night for the glittering prelude to Melbourne’s frock fest.

Australia’s most glamorous women — supermodels Megan Gale and Samantha Harris, bikini babe Lara Bingle and beauty queen Jesinta Campbell — mingled on the lawns of Government House to celebrate this year’s L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival.

Premier Ted Baillieu was impressed by the style on display, offering himself for a makeover and confessing his fashion sense was rated triple B, for “budgies, Blundstones and boardies”.

Models wearing high- voltage gowns in shades of gold, blush and bone by A-list couturiers J’Aton, Gwendolynne, Alex Perry, Toni Maticevski, Collette Dinnigan and Megan Park elegantly set the tone.

The traditional Government House opening on the Sunday before the March 14 festival has been replaced this year by a star-studded party and a public exhibition of Aussie fashion through the decades.

New creative director Grant Pearce has tweaked the schedule to include a menswear show, and designer to the stars Alex Perry will stage a large- scale catwalk show during the festival.

Keen fashionistas can buy their way into the coveted front row with VIP seats available.

WHO needs Paris and Milan when Aussies do stylish high fashion that real women can wear and afford.

Megan Gale says international fashion labels could learn valuable lessons from the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival and its Sydney cousin. The stunning face of L’Oreal Paris says the week-long celebration of Australian fashion gives a much-needed boost to local designers and retailers.

Pics: Megan Gale mega gallery

“The shows in Paris and Milan are held in high esteem,” Gale says.

“It’s a shame that people don’t have that much focus on Melbourne or Sydney fashion weeks. Festivals such as the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival are far more accessible, wearable and affordable.”In the current climate it makes much more sense to hold a festival for the consumers. People come away with a realistic expectation of being able to purchase real pieces.”

Burton unveiled a fantasy offering at Paris Fashion Week Tuesday. It’s a testament to her technical expertise, as well as the fertile imagination it takes to push the house forward, inspiring McQueen devotees and giving the fashion world some much-needed fantasy.

Ivory, ornately embroidered, cinched-waist coats featuring full fluted skirts and smothered with capelets and collars of fur and feathers opened the show, and we knew were off to a fairy-tale beginning.

Some ultra-glam minis made of fur pompoms added a great dose of whimsical glamour. And bright fuchsia, feather-trimmed dresses provided a big pop of joy.

Bergdorf Goodman fashion director Linda Fargo was impressed.

“It’s hard to even put into words the impact that these garments have,” Fargo said. “They almost look like gorgeously shorn poodles.”

“Sarah Burton is such an enormous talent!” Fargo added.

And truly, some of Burton’s creations defied description.

Backstage, I had a close look at a gargantuan, layered, powder-pink feather concoction that reminded me of a beautifully trimmed topiary. That’s the kind of magic that encourages us to see fashion’s possibilities in exciting new ways.

Of course, practicality doesn’t really figure in this equation, but Todd Lynn, the Canadian-born, London-based designer who is good friends with Burton, says what will be presented in the McQueen showroom will have a much more wearable appeal.

“Sarah’s a master of that. She understands the tone of what makes for great runway fare. But she also understands what women want to wear,” Lynn said. “She’ll make all this translate beautifully.”

As for Burton, she was glowing after the show. Still, she’s a reluctant “star” designer: I had my picture taken with her, but she asked that it not be sent into cyberspace. This is one humble artist who prefers that her magnificent work speak for itself.

Having blue hair might be enough to get ordinary fol noticed.

But Katy Perry has gone the extra mile with a bizarre ensemble at Paris Fashion Week.

The 27-year-old singer appeared to honour her Firework hit by wearing a pastel pink pleated dress emblazoned with a bright red fireball that dominated the lower part of her frock.Katy completed the look, which seemed to have been styled with a sprinkling of inspiration from Lady Gaga, with a long unbuttoned mint green pastel jacket and a studded bag to match.

She was of course hidden beneath a pair of large shades, with her ponytail scooped off her face in a not so flattering Croydon facelift.

Her quirky outfit was further decorated with mismatched earrings and spiky peep toe yellow heels.

But even Katy’s own make-up artist believes the Brit-winner takes things a little too far.

Jake Bailey told : ‘Katy is evolving. I think she’s only begun to tap the surface of all the different looks she’s going to do in her career.

‘When it comes to her music videos and performances, she has more fun than anyone else. That’s her show.

‘She likes to be over-the-top, maybe too much at times, but this is Fashion Week and she is respectful of the designers and she wants to represent.’

Despite her slender figure and mingling with the models, Katy insists she has been gorging on French food just like the other tourists.

She tweeted:”Toasted ham and cheese on a baguette in the morning parisisperfect”.

YSL staff was first to hear Tuesday that Hedi Slimane will become the fashion house’s new creative director following the recent departure of Stefano Pilati.

Slimane, who is most famous for his Dior Homme menswear collections from 2000 to 2007, will be the fourth designer to take over the reigns since founding designer Yves Saint Laurent retired in 2002 and died in 2008 at age 71.

Hedi Slimane: Best of photos

Israeli-American designer Alber Elbaz was the first to design the collection following the retirement of Saint Laurent. Then American Tom Ford took over only to be replaced by Pilati in 2004.

Pilati presented his final YSL collection Monday during Paris fashion week and received a standing ovation.

YSL chief Paul Deneve announced to employees Tuesday that Slimane will become the fourth creative director of the prestigious fashion house, since Laurent stopped designing.

Employees were told a public announcement would be made Wednesday.

Born in Paris, Slimane became synonymous with his skinny black rocker suits and skinny ties for men during his years at Christian Dior. Slimane is credited with encouraging a portly Karl Lagerfeld to lose weight. According to Lagerfeld he wanted to be svelte enough to fit into one of the designer’s narrow silhouette suits.

Slimane is also an avid photographer who has captured the portraits of such celebrities as Kate Moss, Pete Doherty, Robert De Niro and Lindsay Lohan.

Kanye West reportedly cancelled a press preview of his new fashion collection because he felt the bad reviews of his last offerings were “unfair.”

The hip-hop superstar debuted his DW Kanye West line in October as part of Paris Fashion Week in France, but the preview of his 2012 spring/summer line failed to impress notoriously tough fashion critics.

He returned to the French fashion event this week to unveil his new womenswear collection on Tuesday, but the New York Times reports West abruptly cancelled plans to show his designs to the press earlier in the day.

The publication’s fashion blog quotes the star as saying, “I don’t know about this. I got treated unfairly by the press last time. Why would I want to do this?” and when asked whether he would like to explain his designs to editors, he replied, “No. If they don’t understand it, they don’t understand it.”

West attracted a star-studded crowd at his show, with famous faces in the front row including Kim Kardashian, who was wearing a pair of shoes from the star’s collection, Alicia Keys, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Common, and reviews of his new designs were slightly more favorable than last year’s.

Christina Binkley of the Wall Street Journal writes, “Overall, given the extremely low expectations, I’d say he pulled it off. But with a lot of help. The rumors that he has been hiring consultants right and left seem likely accurate.”

Luke Leitch of Britain’s The Daily Telegraph, writes, “‘Rap with a capital C’ was how we headlined Kanye West’s execrably executed first incursion into Paris Pret-a-Porter last September… Tonight West came back for more – and good on him. He may be utterly unqualified to show as a designer in Paris, but he certainly has chutzpah. And the collection? Well, it was no hit – but neither was (it) hit with a capital S.”

The New York Times’ Eric Wilson adds, “Harder, faster, stronger, maybe just a little bit better. After a debut collection that was a critical flop last fall, Kanye West resumed his fashion career in Paris on Tuesday night, picking up right where he left off, with a spectacle of slinky dresses, leather pants that didn’t quite fit, furry peplums, broadtail stretch pants, some souped-up go-karts and Kim Kardashian. Well, at least that was an improvement.”

German design house Talbot Runhof visited the world of Charles Dickens’ Miss Havisham on Wednesday, in a Paris ready-to-wear show that channeled green foliage — a nice touch for fall.

A top in silk mousseline embellished with leaves opened the show, depicting the overgrown garden of the character from the 19th century Dickens novel who froze in time after she was left on her wedding day.

As expected from an English country garden, there were a lot of different textures ranging from an elegant looking dress in fluid lame tweed, to sheer tops in crystal embroidered silk tulle.

Stretchy skintight pants in leaf-printed satin worked a treat but somewhat jarred with the style of the show — more like Poison Ivy from “Batman Forever” than anything else.

The best look of the shoulder-strong show was an iridescent gown capped with a flowing cape-like coat in emerald green. But there was a lack of cohesion in the overall look, making this feel more like an off-calendar show than one on the official Paris runway.

Paris fall-winter menswear shows run from June 27 to July 1, followed by haute coute collections from July 2 to July 5.

There’s only so much you can do with wool, even if it’s cashmere. But Allude nevertheless managed to produce a tasteful, if repetitive, fall-winter collection Friday with some highly wearable clothes.

Now a signature, the German company’s heavy cashmeres gave cardigans and sweaters in burgundy, russet and blue a weighty sweep in the first runway show.

Other, thinner knits added a sexy touch, silkily contouring the bust. Flashes like trapeze inserts kept the mood contemporary with a retro wink, as with cool, bulls-eye-patterned knits in blue and red.

One beanie hat that looked like it could have been worn in the 1960s heyday of British model Twiggie was paired with a long cardigan that had the Bohemian feel of the decade after.

Among other shows Wednesday, glamor also filled the catwalk at Elie Saab show of a collection brimming with both traffic-stopping, sequined dresses and clients to buy them.

A glitzy array of va-va-voom silhouette ended with statement evening dresses that are sure to turn up at the next big Hollywood party, but that’s a theme from last season and the season before.

The slight variation this time was structure.

The peplum made a comeback in lean, more architectural daywear. A beautiful ash sheath with an armor-like, jutting waist perfectly balanced sex with the business look. It said: Admire, but don’t touch.

Prints in gray and black also marked a change from the total-color shock of the last ready-to-wear collection, with body skimming panels and cut-outs adding a dash of provocation to Saab’s slightly modified winning formula.

In a big-budget production, the house that made its name and built its early fortune with leather luggage wheeled out a steam-spewing locomotive on tracks at the Louvre Museum for its fall-winter show Wednesday.

Models descended from the life-size replica Orient Express dressed as bourgeois dames in tall Edwardian hats. Each was trailed by a valet carrying — naturellement — Louis Vuitton hat boxes, vanity cases, and petite valises in crocodile and embroidered sequins.

It took a moment for the spectators to focus on the clothes on the platform catwalk.

“It’s just sumptuous, and what a spectacle,” said French cinema icon Catherine Deneuve stepping onto the carriage after the show.

The signature bold patterns of Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs traveled first-class alongside brocades and jacquards appliqued with laser-etched plastic stones. Adding to the time warp, big bejeweled buttons and curved lapels on three-quarter length coats harked to 1960s’ fashion.

Long heavy fabrics in brown, black, siennas and purple plunged to bottom-heavy and layered silhouettes.

“We’re imagining the romance of a better time,” said Jacob speaking backstage. “Whatever you try, clothes never really live in the past. They are worn now so they are modern, with a modern take.”

At which point Jacobs revealed he was wearing a knee-length black dress. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m wearing boxer shorts underneath.”

The new program is coordinated by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Columbia’s Counseling and Psychological Services, and currently has 10 student advisers staffing an online chat three nights each week.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs is now available to chat.

A pilot program online chat called Queer Peers and Allies now allows students to anonymously connect with peer advisers, similar to Nightline—but instead of calling a phone number, students talk via a secure online chat, adding another layer of privacy.

“Campus is really great about taking care of the macro issues that address the queer community, but we’re here to take care of the personal issues,” said one peer adviser, who asked not to be named because of the anonymous nature of the program.

The new online chat program is coordinated by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Columbia’s Counseling and Psychological Services, and currently has 10 student advisers staffing the online chat three nights each week. Lea Robinson, assistant director of LGBT programming and advising in OMA, said she hopes to attract more users by doubling the number of advisers next semester and adjusting the chat hours.

“It is only going to become more of a resource, especially around times with high stress levels like midterms … We want to make sure we’re creating spaces students can feel safe in and where students can get the support that they need,” she said.

The anonymity of the online chat program is one of its key aspects. While the online chat does require students to submit their UNI in case a dangerous situation arises, neither the students seeking help nor the queer peers know each other’s names.

“It’s trying to create some sort of programming that maybe speaks more to confidentiality, to more private spaces,” Robinson said. “Students may feel more comfortable getting online and chatting with someone about things going on as opposed to stepping in to a meeting or coming to a program.”

One of the peer advisers said that she would have taken advantage of the service had it existed previously.

“A lot of times people think since so many people are out and fine, it’s not a big deal, but it still is a big deal for a good deal of people,” she said.

While Queer Peers and Allies is new this semester, it has been in the works for several years.

The process began with Robinson’s predecessor, Kerry Poynter, who worked to formulate the program’s mission and obtain funding from the David Bohnett Foundation before leaving in 2008. In spring 2010, OMA developed its relationship with CPS, and it began recruiting and training “queer peers” last year.

“This program was created initially in trying to find a way to support students wherever they are in their own identity,” Robinson said.

Now that the program online chat is up and running, Robinson says she is excited to continue improving.

“We know that the need is there. We’re just continually working to figure out what the program will look like and how to get there,” she said.

Writer-director Drake Doremus, whose own long-distance relationship was the inspiration for the new feature “Like Crazy,” will be joining us for a live chat at noon on Nov. 2.

After its premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the drama about the sometimes troubled love affair between a Los Angeles furniture designer (“Star Trek’s” Anton Yelchin) and a London journalist (“The Tempest’s” Felicity Jones) sparked a spirited bidding war, with Paramount Pictures and independent producer Indian Paintbrush grabbing the film for some $4 million. The largely improvised film, whose cast includes future “Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence, opens this weekend in Los Angeles and New York to strong  reviews.

The 28-year-old Doremus, whose last feature was the 2010 Sundance selection “Douchebag,” recently completed principal photography on his next feature, which also stars Jones. The as-yet untitled movie also stars Guy Pearce, Amy Ryan and Kyle MacLachlan.

To register for the live chat and schedule a reminder, please fill out the form below. And be sure to join us next Wednesday.

Edward Reilly, 52, of Delmar, a former DEC environmental engineer II, was accused in a criminal complaint filed in Albany City Court with making more than 760 calls to premium rate telephone services over a more than six-year period from his office phone and conference room phones at DEC headquarters in Albany.

In total, the calls, mostly made to phone numbers located in the Caribbean, added up to $20,125 billed to the DEC and lasted more than 500 hours chat at times Reilly was supposed to be working for the State, according to the state Inspector General’s office.

“The charges allege he not only misappropriated State resources but that he did it while on the taxpayers’ time,” Inspector General Ellen Biben said. “Theft from the State will not be tolerated, and my office will continue to vigorously root out individuals who abuse the public trust.”

The charges allege Reilly made numerous phone  chat to such premium rate telephone services as VIP Sensual Chat, VIP Club Sensual Chat, Quest Chat, Secret Encounters, Metrovibe and Local Chat.

Reilly was charged with third-degree grand larceny and five counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, felonies. He was arraigned before Albany City Court Judge Rachel Kretser and released on his own recognizance pending further court action.

The top charge alone, third-degree grand larceny, carries a maximum potential prison sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years.

Russian Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, who is only 14 years old, took a big lead in the women’s singles at the Skate Canada International figure skating competition on Friday.

The Russian, who earned 59.57 points for her short program, was so good that Alexei Mishin, the veteran Russian coach helping guide Tuktamisheva, calls her “the main hope for the gold medal at the Sochi Olympics” in 2014.

Tuktamisheva won’t meet the International Skating Union age requirement to compete in a senior worlds until 2013. But she certainly appears ready to take full advantage of the green light the ISU gave her to enter senior Grand Prix meets this season.

Tuktamisheva, the 2011 world junior silver medalist, was the only skater to cleanly land a triple-triple combination.

Americans Ashley Wagner (54.50 points) and Rachael Flatt (54.23) were second and third.

In pairs, world silver medalists and Russian champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov earned 70.42 points to outdistance their closest rivals in the short program: Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada.

The men’s and dance short programs are scheduled to follow Friday.

A creepy Casanova who’s accused of raping a woman in Riverside Park portrayed himself Thursday as an irresistible ladies’ man.
Smooth-talking Hugues Akassy tried to woo jurors in Manhattan by casting himself as a worldly seducer whose charms included an ample supply of pickup lines, wine and cheese and a firm grasp of “Sex and the City.”
The 43-year-old Frenchman is accused of raping a Russian tourist in Riverside Park and of forcing a woman to give him oral sex after she took him to the rooftop of her East Side apartment building in November 2007.
“All we do is just the oral things,” Akassy said he told the second Russian women. “Why don’t we just make love now?”
Akassy met the Russian women in Central Park when he saw her smoking a cigarette while he enjoyed a solo wine and cheese picnic.
“It’s a shame you try to destroy that beautiful body with a smoke,” Akassy said he told the Russian women.
While an injury will keep the Russian women from traveling to New York to testify, prosecutors have trotted out three other Russian women who said they were stalked and harassed by Akassy when his amorous advances were rejected.
“Her behavior was shallow,” Akassy said of the Manhattan lawyer whom he trashed as “rude, phony and a jerk” when she rejected him.
The ascot-wearing accused rapist insisted he’s a Romeo who worked as a globe-trotting journalist and had no trouble making Russian women friends all over Manhattan.
Sources have said he’s a homeless con man.
On the witness stand, Akassy told jurors about his love of Cabernet Sauvignon and recounted how he took one date past a spot in Central Park where a “Sex and the City” scene had been filmed.
In a French accent, he also said he has four degrees – including one in classical music – and that he regularly met women in the city’s museums.
At another point, he began reciting the lyrics of a French love song.
They were, Akassy said, used to woo one of the Russian women.
And when one romantic date hit a rough spot, he said, a Brazilian waitress started eying him.
” looked at me and said, ‘Oh, you look like Seal.’” Akassy said. “I found her to be much more interesting.”

Wall Street is warming up to Microsoft Corp’s $8.5 billion purchase of online chat service Skype.

After initial shock at the price — more than double its expected public valuation — investors think Microsoft made a smart move buying advanced communications technology it can put into its products along with a ready base of users.

But there are still concerns the world’s biggest software company — with a patchy record on pleasing consumers and making acquisitions work — can really pull it off.

“It’s got huge potential. It pulls them directly into the telecoms area and they need to diversify,” said Nick Landell-Mills at Indigo Equity Research. “But they haven’t really made a lot of acquisitions. And Microsoft has noticeably failed so far on consumer. They are essentially an enterprise organization.”

Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, and Skype’s US base in Silicon Valley are buzzing as the two companies start the process of working together.

Skype chief Tony Bates has been in Redmond with his team for much of the past two weeks, after the deal closed.

Microsoft has not said what it plans for Skype — its biggest acquisition to date — except to say it is “incredibly excited” about getting the service into its products.

Most expect Skype video chat and messaging will start to appear soon on Xbox game consoles, Windows phones and Windows Live messenger, and later as an expansion to its Lync messaging and video chat service for businesses.

The strategy
Skype, which popularized the VoIP — voice over Internet protocol — method of using a computer as a phone, is the clear leader in the market, with 145 million users who sign in at least once a month.

Its online chat service is free, but it has 8.8 million customers paying for premium services such as placing calls to mobile phones or landlines from a PC and video-conferencing, which it is pitching strongly to businesses.

Microsoft is hoping Skype will enrich its own programs and platforms and become a vehicle for ads, without frightening off Skype‘s loyal customers.

The most likely first step will be to bring Skype to the nearly 35 million active members of Xbox Live, Microsoft’s online gaming setup, allowing players to video-chat while they play games or watch movies.

“They are turning the Xbox form purely a gaming device to being a communications or entertainment console,” said Mark Moerdler, senior research analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. “You can sit at your Xbox and be able to talk to other people through the camera in Kinect.”

Microsoft will then look to introduce Skype as an app on its Windows Phones and make it complementary to its PC software, analysts said, helping it battle rival services Google Talk and Apple Inc’s FaceTime.

The strategy will be to draw more people into Skype, especially business users, pushing them towards paid services.

“It’s a huge installed base and Microsoft can target them with services from Bing, ads and so on,” said Jack Gold, head of J Gold Associates, a telecoms research firm. “Skype can also plug into the Lync environment and give Microsoft scalability way beyond what they can do now, as many companies already use Skype.”

Track record
Microsoft regularly buys small companies as a way of bringing new technology and talent into the company. But it rarely makes big purchases.

Aside from its failed 2008 bid for Internet giant Yahoo Inc, the company tends not to venture into multi-billion dollar deals.

Of the big acquisitions it has done, the record is patchy at best. A decade ago it spent almost $2.5 billion buying business software firms Great Plains and Navision, which now form a central part of its offerings for corporations.

But its $6 billion deal to buy online ad firm aQuantive in 2007 — its biggest deal before Skype — was a flat out failure, with aQuantive’s managers fleeing the new regime.

On the consumer side of the business, its record is also unconvincing. Microsoft made a great deal buying video game maker Bungie on the cheap in 2000 and used its wildly popular Halo combat game to establish the Xbox as a power in the console market. Despite that success, Bungie split from Microsoft in 2007.